The Prisoner of Zenda

And one of the most lovable rogues in all literature. Our hero risks his life to save the King who stands between him and the woman he loves. A quotation from the book: "God doesn't always make the right man king".

Really enjoyed this book. I was amazed at the number of people that hadn't heard of it as I was walking around reading it. Its a sort of combination between 'The Three Musketeers' and 'The Prince and the Pauper.' Its a fun adventure tale with some interesting characters and some fun dialogue, and mostly just fun action adventure scenes. Not a hard read at all (though some of the action adventure I did have a hard time following, but sometimes I do get bored by that stuff) definately makes me want to go out and see the movie adaptation, see how certain things get played out in the 3d world.

The Prisoner of Zenda, by Anthony Hope Sir Anthony Hope Hawkings was a successful London lawyer who wrote this 1894 novel about foreign intrigue and an Englishman in a fictional Balkan country. It inspired many such stories, and was filmed four times. It may have appealed to the growing interest in Continental politics and the future effect on Britain. Rudolf Rassendyll is a 29 year old bachelor gentleman with red hair and a nose that is unusual for his family, but comes from the Elphburg side (the royal house of Ruritania). This came from an 18th century scandal. Rudolf had been to a German university, and spoke French as well as his English. He then decides to visit Ruritania for the Coronation! Rudolf stops at Zenda rather than the crowded capital of Strelsau, and stays at a small inn. There is a conflict between Prince Rudolf and his half-brother Duke Michael. When walking through the woods, Rassendyll meets Prince Rudolf. But a problem arises that will prevent Prince Rudolf from appearing at his Coronation that day. Colonel Sapt thinks of a solution: Rassendyll will double for the Prince at the Coronation! We learn that the poverty-stricken people of Old Town favor Duke Michael. The Coronation succeeds with no one suspecting a double. But when Rassendyll leaves to return to England a new problem arises. Rassendyll must continue to act as the King of Ruritania. The story tell show Rassendyll, Sapt, and the others succeed in rescuing Prince Rudolf from captivity, and restore him to the throne and marriage with his cousin Princess Flavia (also of the Blood Royal). Duty triumphs over love, Flavia will stay and Rassendyll will go, never to return. [Is this story a simplified version of "The Man in the Iron Mask?] It recalls pre-WW I Europe when no passports were needed to travel freely. This swashbuckling tale of adventure is well suited to a film where there is more action that talk. The limited number of characters would keep costs down. The book "Royal Babylon" by Karl Shaw tells the uncensored history of European royalty, not the bowdlerized version in this novel. The earlier reference to a position in the Diplomatic Corps suggests Rassendyll may have joined the British Secret Service and been assigned to work on the Ruritanian succession. His job is to eliminate Michael from the throne (the masses liked him) and ensure Rudolf's succession (a weak man given to drink, and controllable by his British friends). There was no mention of Ruritania's importance as an ally or commercial partner to Britain.

I have been an avaricious reader since I was in the second grade; a bout of mononucleosis and the discovery of the Hardy boys in the third grade sealed the deal for me, and I have been reading furiously ever since. This book, perhaps more than any other I had read in those formative years, thrilled me to my bones and forged me into a lifelong committed adventure reader. They say you never forget your first love, and I have never forgotten the Prisoner of Zenda. It has EVERYTHING a young boy could desire in an adventure book: travel to a distant country, nefarious villains, royalty, beautiful damsels, dashing military officers accoutered with flashing sabers and charging steeds, castles, kidnappings, escapes, swashbuckling....my knees buckle a little bit just thinking about it again. This book literally imprinted me for everything I have read in the genre since then and stirred in me a desire for travel and adventure that has led me all around the globe several times in my life. I do not think it is a stretch to say that this book may very well have changed the course of my life, nudging me into certain dreams and hopes that I have happily chased ever since. I've ordered it today, desiring to read it again and compare it to my 8 year old memories of it, but, more importantly, I also wish to present it to my son and hope it opens the world to him the same way it did for me.

I've long been a fan of Errol Flynn swashbucklers and the classic works of the prolific (and unjustly forgotten) Rafael Sabatini, but if you want the greatest swashbuckler novel of them all, Anthony Hope's "The Prisoner of Zenda" is a classic you'll come back to again and again: over a hundred years after being written, it's still as sharp as a rapier point."The Prisoner of Zenda" is something of a rarity: a Victorian adventure novel that is as fresh and entertaining to read in this modern jaded age as it was in 1894. If you've ever seen one of the many movie adaptations you already know the story: Rudolf Rassendyll, an Englishman vacationing in the tiny European country of Ruritania, meets and befriends the soon-to-be-crowned King Rudolf--his exact and identical double. When the King is kidnapped by the dastardly Black Michael, Rassendyll must impersonate the King in the coronation ceremony...and in the heart of the Queen. Hope's handling of the romance between Rassendyll and Queen Flavia is both a daring and romantic love story and a subtle examination of the meaning of honor and duty to a gentleman. Of course there's plenty of swordplay and derring-do along the way (put on an Erich Korngold CD while reading for the best effect). If Tom Clancy was writing this one, there'd be nuclear weapons instead of swords and email instead of telegrams, but even he couldn't pull off the simple but subtle romantic story and the triumphant but poignant ending.If you enjoy this, you'll also want to read Hope's worthy sequel "Rupert of Hentzau," which brings Rassendyll back to Ruritania years later to match wits and swords with Michael's henchman, bringing an end to the saga so satisfyingly that there's no need for a third adventure. I loved both but would definitely rank "Rupert" a level below "Prisoner": "Rupert" is narrated by Fritz, the faithful royal retainer from "Prisoner," and suffers from much of the action taking place outside Fritz's personal view and being retold later on. Still, it's a stunning and emotional end to the story, and one which'll bring a proper tear to your eye. Like Rudolf of Ruritania, Anthony Hope is a king...of adventure novels. Unlike Rudolf, he has no equal.